A study quantitatively analyzed the frequency of English article deletion by Korean learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). Subjects were 49 freshmen in a South Korean university. The absence of an article system in Korean induces usage errors in which learners ungrammatically either omit or add an article. The study especially focuses on the linguistic (article placement) and social factors (rural vs. urban background, gender) that influence deletion of both the definite and indefinite articles in the students' written English compositions. Results suggest article deletion is systematic and sensitive to both linguistic and social variables. Males deleted articles more than females, but no apparent difference resulted from regional background and there was no difference in deletion rate for definite and indefinite articles. (Contains 9 references.) (MSE)

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